


Can't See Through the Fire

by Veresiine



Category: World of Warcraft
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Heavy Angst, I just made myself so sad that I had to add a little bit of fluff in chapter 2, problematic elves in chapter 3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-22
Updated: 2018-11-14
Packaged: 2019-08-06 00:25:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16377920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Veresiine/pseuds/Veresiine
Summary: All OCs all the time, reacting to the burning of Teldrassil. None of them are taking it well.





	1. Eresiine, Revenis, and Rataalis

    Eresiine was aware of the screaming and crying around her, but it didn't quite register and blended in with normal ambient sounds. She was similarly aware of the smells, but they blended into a distant, familiar mixture. The only thing she did notice in particular was the absence of sulfur.

  
    Her hooves moved almost on their own, directing her toward the new arrivals. She unconsciously began to assess the conditions of those around her, trying to sort out who needed help first, mark them with the appropriately colored glow, and offer what relief and immediate care she could based on need before moving on to the next person. She felt like she was in a daze, and her body and mind moved on their own without conscious direction. She was talking, she knew that, trying to comfort and reassure, but she didn't know what words she was saying. Night elf, worgen, draenei, human... it didn't matter. She recognized no one in particular, but at the same time, she recognized everyone. How many times had she seen a mother with her infant in her arms refusing treatment until her baby was looked at? How many times had she seen a group of terrified adolescents, playing together before tragedy struck, trying to hold themselves together?

  
    A strong hand gripping her upper arm startled her and pulled her out of her trance. She yanked her arm free and whirled around to face Rataalis.

  
    "Anchorite, we need you _healing_ , not doing triage! Leave that to the medics." His voice was stern and his posture was stiff, but his face showed only exhaustion and sorrow. In no mood to fight, Eresiine nodded, and allowed herself to be led to the medical staging area.

  
    As she walked, she tried to piece together what she had seen with what little she remembered of what Revenis told her as he shook her awake and pulled her through a portal. _Teldrassil is burning. The Horde is to blame. There are so many casualties that Revenis was told to retrieve me from half a continent away to help with treatment._

  
    She wanted to feel hurt or betrayed or shocked, but all she felt was numb.

  
    "Doctor Filbert, this is Anchorite Eresiine." Eres shook her head to clear her thoughts and focus on the here and now. They were standing in front of a grim-faced human surgeon who seemed to be in between patients. He looked her over critically, no doubt noticing her loose, toussled hair and nightgown. She had barely had time to wash her hands before she left, let alone get dressed.

  
    "Have her start over there," he said, as he gestured to his left with his chin. "Smoke inhalation and lung problems; few external burns. Magic's better on it anyway, and the risk of contamination is low." Eresiine felt slightly indignant that he wasn't addressing her directly, but for all he knew, it was possible she didn't speak Common. "When the worst of them are taken care of, get scrubbed up in back and help me out here." Eresiine nodded her understanding, and set to work doing as she was told.

  
.

  
    It felt like days had passed by the time one of the other healers had suggested that Eresiine take a break. By that time, between doctors and healers, all the casualties in need of immediate care and most of those in need of urgent care had been seen to, so Eresiine felt little guilt about sitting down for a few minutes. She hadn't been the only one. A friendly Pandaren shaman had sat down next to her and offered her a glass of water and the "smaller half" of her lunch (which was more like one quarter, but Eres wasn't about to argue). Eresiine had gratefully accepted. They hadn't spoken much, and the shaman had quickly departed, leaving Eres alone on the bench.

  
    She leaned forward, holding her head in her hands, with her fingernails digging in just behind her crest. She forced herself to breathe.

  
    The shock and numbness had worn off unfortunately quickly. As soon as she had recognized her fifteenth patient as the sassy Sentinel who had welcomed her to Darnassus on her visit a few years ago, the reality of the situation had started to sink in. After that, it had been a battle to hold herself together emotionally.

  
    Eresiine was no stranger to tragedy. Three thousand years of life had seen her through many disasters, natural or not. She had learned to keep a cool head in times of crisis. She had needed to keep a cool head so she could better help others and carry out her duties. And for many years, she had done just that.  
    But this was too much.

  
    Maybe it was the timing. The past two years had been a terrifying adventure that had turned much of what she had thought to be true on its head. And just when she thought that maybe she could finally settle down to live a peaceful life in the marsh, this had happened.

  
    Maybe it was because the casualty profile reminded her so much of Karabor. The injured were overwhelmingly civilians, many of them priests. Darnassus, like Karabor, was as much of a sacred place as it was a city.

  
    The reason didn't matter, though. What did matter was to keep her faith in the Light to give her and those who needed her the strength to get through this.

  
    She just hoped she'd last long enough to be of use.


	2. Marelan and Aquendria

Marelan had never been more terrified in his life.

  
He wasn't quite sure what was going on. He couldn't see what was happening. He couldn't gather any information from the people around him, between the sheer chaos and his very weak Darnassian. But he knew enough to tell that he was in a very, very bad situation.

  
He was a blood elf in Alliance territory. A blind blood elf in Alliance territory with a kaldorei child in tow. If that wasn't bad enough, they had walked into the middle of some sort of crisis on a scale he hadn't encountered since the Scourge invasion. He had heard rumors, of course, that the Horde was taking up arms again, but he had assumed that they had only provoked a few skirmishes and that it wouldn't affect the plans for Quendri to go back and visit her home.

  
He had been wrong.

  
He should have cancelled or postponed the trip until he had been sure that it would be safe. Failing that, he should have taken Orlaney up on his offer to go with Quendri on her trip. Orlaney was human. He had much more freedom to move in Alliance territory than Marelan ever would, no matter how well he passed for a high elf.

  
And for the next few hours to days, there was far too much riding on his ability to pass for a high elf.

  
Marelan had never fought for the Horde against the Alliance, but he doubted anyone here would care. As far as they were concerned, he was a blood elf, therefore the enemy. In a time of relative peace, he would probably only get glares and rude remarks. But if the Horde had just attacked the Alliance -- and a large number of Alliance civilians, at that -- then people would be afraid and angry and looking for something or someone to blame and punish. He didn't want to be that someone.

  
If he were traveling alone, he would have retreated, at least until the situation calmed down a bit. But he couldn't. He had Quendri to worry about, and he wasn't about to leave a child in the middle of a crisis all alone. That said, if he were to be exposed as a blood elf with her traveling with him, he didn't know what they would do with her. She was a night elf, yes, and a child, yes. But if she was seen in the company of and friendly with members of the Horde, with people as upset as they sounded, he couldn't be sure she'd be treated well.

  
It was taking all his willpower to not hurt Quendri's hand by squeezing too hard, because he simply could not risk being separated from her, for either of their sakes. While he could attempt to rationally process the situation, the emotional terror gripping him was keeping him frozen in place and seeking reassurance. Thankfully, Quendri seemed equally disinterested in letting go.

  
"Mar, I'm scared." Quendri's voice was high and wobbling, and she leaned into him.

  
"I know, Quendri. I know. But we'll be all right." He couldn't let her know that he was probably just as afraid as she was. He could only hope that his decades of experience defusing situations as a guard was enough to keep his voice level without too much conscious effort.

  
"They said the tree is burning. I-is it going to be okay? They have mages to help, right?"

  
"I don't know. I think so. We'll find out."

  
"I just... I just wanted to go home."

  
"I know."

  
"I was in Dalaran for so long! And you and Eres and Verk and Orlaney and Tel and Oli... but I just... I just wanted to go home." She sniffled. "Mommy..." Marelan winced. If terror was freezing his blood cold, that one word sent an ice needle through his heart. _She's just a little girl. Not even a teenager. She lost her mother -- her only family -- to a fate worse than death. And now the closest thing she has to a home is burning, and neither of us can do anything about it._

  
.

  
"Did Verk show you that one?" Marelan asked, as Quendri 'hmmm'ed in concentration over her spell. An hour or so later, they had integrated themselves into the gathered group. Quendri had been conjuring drinking water for those in need, and Marelan had been keeping order among those who had gathered to get a drink. He could almost -- almost -- let himself relax. If he just thought of this as another normal mass casualty incident -- and how long had those been 'normal' for him? -- then he could almost forget about the fact that he was an easy scapegoat for a very large and very upset group of people if even a single person exposed him as a blood elf.

  
"No, Tel did -- oh, corn bread, I lost it!"

  
"Corn bread?"

  
"T-that's just what Eres would say sometimes. Ugh, I can't get this to work again! Mar, why'd you distract me?" Marelan felt Quendri stomp on the ground. He imagined she had her arms crossed and was pouting, as well. She was upset, but there was no venom in it. _She has a good heart._

  
"It's best not to push yourself too far past your limits anyway. You were conjuring for quite some time."

  
"But I want to be able to _do_ something!"

  
"I know. Believe me, I know." If she had a task to focus on, she was more likely to be able to hold herself together. That said, she should be allowed to let her composure slip, to let herself feel and express those feelings. "But you've already done a lot."

  
"It's just water."

  
"And water is very important. You've done what you could. Give yourself a rest and a break. How are you holding up?" Quendri didn't reply for about a minute. Marelan patiently waited until she was ready to speak.

  
"... It's not fair!" Quendri finally exclaimed. It was as if she had been bottling up her outrage during her silence.

  
"It isn't, and I'm sorry."

  
"I had just gotten to go home after all that time! And now... and now the Horde...!" Quendri broke off crying. Not knowing what else to do, Marelan opened his arms, and a few seconds later she jumped into them. He winced internally. Quendri wasn't usually very fond of hugs; he had just reacted that way because he was used to Verk needing a literal shoulder to cry on. But if Quendri was reaching out...

  
Quendri continued to talk in between sobs, but it was muffled by his jacket and in Darnassian, so he had little clue what she was saying. All he could do was stand there and pray they would be safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Orlaney is a friend's OC, not mine.
> 
> If I do a chapter 3, it will be about all five previously mentioned OCs meeting up.


	3. (Horde Side) Verkira and Telaina

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains extremely angry, extremely problematic elves. I considered posting this as a separate piece with an M rating. The theme and mood are a bit different, there is much stronger language used, and Verk and Tel don't handle things with grace and respect. That said, this still technically fits in with the theme of "my OCs reacting to the burning of Teldrassil," so it stays. Anyway, you have been warned.

A Day or So Later...

  
.

  
"You haven't been yourself lately, Verkira." Verk didn't bother turning around. After decades of dreading it, she knew Tel's voice when she heard it. She kept her eyes forward, facing the crackling campfire in front of her.

  
"What is it to you?" Verk mumbled into her knees.

  
"What? Am I not allowed to be worried?"

  
"I should have left you on that Lightforsaken rock to die." Verk didn't mean it, but the words came out anyway. Tel scoffed.

  
"Oh, please. We both know you didn't have the heart to do it." Tel sat down next to her, uncomfortably close. "So what has you in this mood? Honestly, the way you're acting, people would think _you_ were the one who was betrayed by her own apprentice and then --" At the word 'apprentice,' Verk clenched her teeth and fought back tears that were starting to form in her eyes.

  
"Don't you fucking dare finish that thought."

  
"Very well. But at least give me some clue what has you acting like this. Your moping is contagious, you know. It's starting to affect the others."

  
"Who's to say I didn't catch it from you?"

  
"Because I pulled myself together weeks ago. So. Talk to me."

  
"You want me to open you to _you_? After everything you've done to my family and to me personally? By the Sunwell, Tel!"

  
"Marelan isn't here. That draenei priest you follow around like a lost puppy isn't here either. Who else do you have to talk to, anyway? I'm the only one here who _knows_ you."

  
"If you "know" me so well, you shouldn't have to ask what the problem is."

  
"Fine, fine. It's Quendri, isn't it?" Now Verk turned to glare at Tel.

  
"If you know that, and have the same concerns I do, how can _you_ be so calm about things? I thought you liked her!"

  
"Well, first of all, no news is good news, as they say. It's entirely possible -- probable, even -- that she's fine."

  
"Even if she wasn't in Teldrassil when it happened, it's still her home! How is she going to handle --"

  
"That's not our problem."

  
"Tel, what the fuck."

  
"Acting like I'm the irrational one here. Verkira, we have too many problems of our own here to focus on 'what ifs' about people who are _not_ here."

  
"Oh yeah? Like what?"

  
"Oh, the fact that we're sitting here just _waiting_ for the Alliance to pounce on us, demanding retribution for what our petty excuse for a warchief did to their favorite oversized tree. And our best scout just so happens to be my little sister, who is unquestioningly loyal to said warchief and probably sent here to keep us in line and report back, because the two of us -- and I suppose the goblin, too -- have rather _unfortunate_ reputations that precede us. Oh, and we're low on supplies, out of meat, and will probably be living off of mana buns conjured by yours truly by the end of the week, with no relief in sight. And on top of all that, we have you here moping and dragging down morale even further."

  
"... I still can't believe you and Liro are related. I never even knew you had a sister."

  
"It's a long story and I don't care to discuss it."

  
"Yet you wanted _me_ to share my deepest worries with _you_."

  
"Not necessarily. I was just waiting for you to name your biggest problem so I could talk sense into you about it, and, by extension, do something about the morale issue."

  
"You're terrible at this."

  
"I'm a magistrix, not a counselor. What do you expect?"

  
"You to leave me alone."

  
"Then you clearly haven't been paying attention to anything in the past few decades. Believe me, I'd like to forget you were ever born -- though I have to say, Leahni going on maternity leave for you was a _welcome_ relief -- but it seems we're stuck with each other."

  
"... I definitely should have left you to die."

  
"Perhaps. But anyway. Fine. You're worried about an Alliance acquaintance. And this can't be the first time, with how attached you are to that priest."

  
"Her name is Eresiine, and you ought to know that by now," Verk growled.

  
"Fine. Eresiine. So I imagine you were worried about _her_ in the past. Especially when the Horde had that one orc in charge."

  
"Garrosh."

  
"Yes, him. So why is it that you're falling apart now and not then?" Verk didn't know why, but that question -- and Tel's almost singsong and mocking tone -- made her stomach lurch in rage. She jumped to her feet so she could look down at Tel.

  
"You want to know? You really fucking want to know? Fine, I'll tell you! Because I just can't do this anymore. Because it's just too much! For years, Tel, for _years_ , I've fought for the Horde. Knowing that human warrior could have been the daughter of one of my childhood friends. That kaldorei druid could have been Quendri's uncle. That Wildhammer shaman could have been one of Brun's students. That anchorite could have been from the same temple as Eres. That gnome rogue could have been one of Binny's friends. That pandaren could have been from Soonsu's village. And I did it. I fought them. I killed them. I still fucking did it, because I had to. For the Horde. And for Quel'thalas." She was too angry to stop the words, so they just kept coming. She found herself pacing as she spoke. "And the Horde has done some shitty things. And you know what? I could live with that. Because the Alliance has done some shitty things, too. And at the end of the day, I gave my word, and the Horde gave me a place where the Alliance gave me the middle finger. But this? This is too much! There's a tree in flames, a tree _full of civilians_! Not just "oh some civilians got caught in the crossfire" because, while unfortunate, it happens, but -- augh! And it was unprovoked, too!" Tel just sat there, watching her, almost eerily calm. "And no one else seems to care! You especially! Light damn it, Tel! You said you were a ranger, don't you _care_ about nature? Don't you _care_ that they burned the world tree? Of fucking course you don't. Because you're the same evil old witch who was willing to watch the world burn out of blind loyalty to a madman because of who he used to be. You don't care about anything. You don't care that we just burned hundreds or thousands of _civilians_ alive."

  
"So that's what's been getting to you." Tel raised her eyebrows, but gave no other visible reaction. Her voice was calm and cool, with none of the earlier mocking tone. "For the record, I do care."

  
"Oh yeah? You could have fooled me." Verk put her hands on her hips and leaned over Tel.

  
"I just obviously care less than you do, in part because I don't have the same attachment to the Horde."

"In part. So what's the rest? Where is the outrage?"

  
"I don't have the energy for outrage."

  
"How do you not!?"

  
"... Verk. Less than a month ago, my apprentice betrayed me and _tried to kill me_ , and is currently on the loose and a threat to _everyone_ she comes across. While she was at it, she killed my companion. You know, the only one who talked to me for years. As fucked up as it is, you are now the closest thing I have to a friend. And that's not even touching the family matters, which are, frankly, none of your business. All this on top of what I mentioned earlier. I'm exhausted. I'm beyond exhausted. But as tired as I am, and as much as I hate it, I have to hold it together, for my sake and everyone else's, because we're not getting through this alone."

  
"... This just isn't right."

  
"I won't argue that."


	4. Rataalis, Revenis, Eresiine, Marelan, and Quendri

"How many times do I have to tell you!? By the Light, Revenis!" Rataalis sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Hearing Eresiine use _that_ tone of voice was at once an annoyance and a comfort. If she had the energy to scold his wayward apprentice, then she was doing better than he had initially feared.

  
The look in her eyes when he had found her curled up in a corner in the medic's tent once the rush had passed had been the same as the one she'd had when he had retrieved her from one of the side rooms of Karabor, kneeling over the body of an acolyte and staring blankly at her hands while an orc howled and clawed at his eyes on the other side of the room. It had taken her hours to be verbal again after that, and, decades later, she still shut down when asked about it. Rataalis was worried that this would be a repeat of that incident.

  
Fortunately, it didn't seem that way.

  
"Come on, Eres, it's not that big of a deal," Revenis whined, sounding closer to eight than eighty.

  
"To you, perhaps, but what about the others? If your fathe --" Eresiine immediately broke off, looking shocked and deeply ashamed, and Revenis's shoulders slumped and tail drooped. "I'm... I didn't mean it. Forgive me."

  
"No, I get it. Listen, I'm just... tired."

  
"Of course. I understand. I'm sorry." Eresiine looked like she couldn't figure out what to do and was therefore frozen in inaction, and Revenis turned around and seemed about to head toward the tents. Rataalis sighed. This was his cue, it seemed. He cleared his throat to grab his apprentice's attention, then beckoned him over when he turned.

  
He was worried about Eresiine, of course, between her earlier difficulties and the fact that she had been away from the temple and its fellowship for too long, instead choosing to minister to humans, but he also knew that she preferred to brood alone. Revenis, on the other hand, could benefit from a distraction.

  
"Revenis, we need to gather the other Vindicators in our group for a briefing. Find Valuora and..." Think. _Think_ By the naaru, why did he have to have such a horrible memory for names? "Ael... bah, I don't know. The one with the green hair in a braid. You know him."

  
"Yes, sir."

  
"Tell them to meet at the main tent in fifteen minutes." Fifteen minutes wasn't much time for Rataalis to prepare a speech, but he had worked on shorter notice. It wouldn't give Revenis much time to dawdle, and that was the important thing. They were all overdue for a rendezvous and briefing, anyhow.

  
"Yes, sir." Revenis shuffled off, and Rataalis let out an exasperated sigh. _Why_ did this have to happen?

  
He would never forgive the Horde.

  
Others might have accused him of caring little to nothing for anyone who wasn't a draenei, but he could at least appreciate what the night elves had done for his people. That, and no one -- well, no decent person, anyhow -- deserved to have their homes and sacred places burn.

  
The Horde would never change. It would continue doing what it always had; destroying carelessly, needlessly, and cruelly. Just because some individual members were useful allies of convenience against greater evils did not change the reality of what the Horde *was* and continued to be.

  
If he ever got his hands on those responsible --

  
He caught a glimpse of the ear of a Thalassian elf out of the corner of his eye, and tensed up, fearing sin'dorei interference. But when he looked over the elf to whom the ear belonged, he relaxed. A bit. _Marelan._

  
Marelan should not have been there. So why was he? The best way to find out was, most likely, to ask him.

  
"What are you doing here?" Rataalis hissed, stepping in close enough that he was able to loom over him. Marelan startled and seemed about to reach for his sword, but paused with his hand an inch from the hilt. Rataalis abruptly realized exactly what he was doing. Intimidating someone who was most likely already terrified was not the noblest thing Rataalis could have done.

  
"Who wants to know?" Marelan's voice wavered only slightly.

  
"So far, just me. Rataalis. Listen. Does anyone else know you're here? Does Eresiine?" Marelan visibly relaxed when Rataalis gave his name, and further still when Eresiine was mentioned.

  
"No. I came here to bring Quendri home, but... well..." He winced. Rataalis thought for a moment. 'Quendri' was a familiar name, but from where? Perhaps she was the young night elf who had stayed with Eresiine in Dalaran. That would make sense.

  
"Where is Quendri, then?" Rataalis hadn't personally met the girl, but he did know of her from Verkira, Eresiine, and Marelan.

  
"Oh, by the Sunw--" Marelan quickly shut himself up before he could ruin whatever cover he had. "Quendri!?" He called.

  
"Over here!" A young night elf girl with silver hair called out from about fifteen feet away. She was sitting cross-legged on the ground next to two other, older night elves.

  
"Stay within range, please!"

  
"I know, I know..." Quendri grumbled. The two other night elves chuckled, then addressed her in Darnassian. Rataalis turned his attention back to Marelan.

  
"You know you can't be here," Rataalis whispered, not wanting to expose Marelan further.

  
"I know. But what else was I supposed to do? I can't just leave her here!"

  
"She is among her people. You are _not_ her people."

  
"I know that."

  
"The longer you stay here, the greater the chance that --"

  
"I know." Marelan sounded pained. "But I --"

  
"ERESIINE!" Both Marelan and Rataalis turned to see Quendri take off like a rocket to give Eresiine -- who apparently hadn't moved much since Rataalis had seen her last -- a flying hug. That certainly didn't go unnoticed by those nearby, and Marelan and Rataalis quickly found themselves awkwardly close to the center of a small, loose group of assembled night elves. Rataalis couldn't speak a word of Darnassian, but it seemed they were amused and heartened by the reunion; a single spark of hope in a fog of tragedy and despair. Eresiine, for her part, looked slightly dazed, but was trying to comfort Quendri. Rataalis found himself unconsciously scanning for weapons or any apparent hostile intent in those surrounding her, but, upon finding none, he relaxed slightly.

  
"Um," Marelan started.

  
"I do believe that's your cue, then." Rataalis gingerly and discreetly tried to steer Marelan and himself away from the crowd, but Marelan was not budging.

  
"No, I don't think it is."

  
"Why not?"

  
"All things considered, it may actually be safer here."

  
"Are you mad!?"

  
"Heh. Maybe." Rataalis could only stare. _Not another one..._  Come to think of it, Marelan was a warrior, wasn't he? And he'd fight for Quendri and Eresiine if nothing else. There was only one solid course of action for him to take.

"... Fine... Meeting at the main tent in ten minutes."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Valuora is a friend's OC, not mine.
> 
> I know I said there was no happy ending, but I couldn't fight the urge to shoehorn something slightly hopeful in at the end.
> 
> Thank you very much for reading!


End file.
